A reinvented Brazilian dish: prawn moqueca

Moqueca is a typical Brazilian dish. It can be fish, shellfish or meat based. It is very popular on the Nordeste coast and there are many versions as cooks. The one that I present in this post is inspired by the moqueca as it is prepared in Bahía, with coconut milk. Traditionally, it has a beautiful golden yellow color, given by the red palm oil (Dende). Here, palm oil is replaced by tomato paste, to get a nice coral color.Another difference with the traditional moqueca: the amount of fresh tomatoes, which are the main ingredient in my variation of this recipe. You can serve it with rice and a salad, or with steamed vegetables.

From a nutritional standpoint, the prawns are low in calories while high in protein. Moreover, they are a source of Omega-3, phosphorus, selenium and vitamins B3 and B12. The tomatoes and green onions sauce will you provide antioxidants and coconut milk, with iron, manganese and copper. All this goodness in a nutritious, tasty and creamy dish. What more can you ask for?

Serves 2

300 gr peeled prawns

500 gr tomatoes

1 bell pepper

3 green onions

3 cloves garlic

225 ml coconut milk

1 tbsp tomato paste

1/2 lime

1 tbsp coriander, chopped

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 pinch cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp salt

Directions

Chop tomatoes and pepper into coarse dices.

Finely chop the green onions and garlic. Fry them in a pan with high sides, using the vegetable oil.